An appeal to base vaping policies on health prevention

Dr. Chris Ford is the Clinical Director of International Doctors for Healthier Drug Policies, based in the UK. She recently shared her and her colleagues’ reflections after attending the Global Forum on Nicotine last June.

“IDHDP is a global network of medical doctors that supports drug policies based on the health of individuals and society.” The organization encourages medical doctors from every field to join them, so that in unity they can form a strong network of influence ensuring drug policies are put in place for the right reasons, to promote health.

Dr. Ford pointed out in an article published by Nicotine Policy on July 15th that the idea of using substances to alter the senses has been around for centuries, and that it is unlikely that it will come to a halt anytime soon. Despite this being common knowledge, she continued, there is an incomprehensible dogma that surrounds drug policy. Ford feels that in the same way that illegalization, and lack of information and tools, in relation to drug use put drug users in serious danger, lack of information and heavy regulations that limit access to vaping products, put smokers who could make the safer switch to vaping, put their lives at peril as they keep exposing their bodies to tobacco smoke.

Ford went on to refer to the study published by the Royal College of Physicians which found that the health hazards when using a vaporizer are unlikely to exceed 5% of those that come with tobacco smoking. She referred to the fact that policies of drug prohibition have not decreased drug use, but only led to the lucrative drug industry, which makes billions of dollars, end up being turned over to criminals. In the same way Ford continued, restricting access to vaping products is just serving the cigarette companies, by ensuring their stability, while six billion people perish yearly from smoking.

Evidence instead of Dogma

The article was concluded by mentioning that” there is no evidence to support the claim that harm reduction interventions like e-cigarettes encourage smoking”, and that in the this day and age evidence should outplace dogma in matters of health prevention and reducing death rates. “Health and only health must be at the heart of all policies related to drug use and this includes smoking tobacco”.